Back before ultraportables were a thing, Apple's MacBook Air burst into the scene sporting a combination of small size, thin design, and near-high-end laptop parts specs. It was a landmark release in that it vastly improved upon the then-concept of thin laptops with low power consumption by adding more-than-capable laptop components to the mix.
A few months after its release, ultraportables started to flood the market, with many expecting them to be the next great portable PC trend. While that has been proven to be excitable early hype more than anything, it's undeniable that ultraportables do have a considerable market share.
With ultraportables now having a huge presence, can the latest iteration of the MacBook Air keep its head above the crowd?
The answer to that is a resounding "yes."
The new MacBook Air has the following laptop components under its hood: A third-gen 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 ULV CPU, 4 GB of 1,600 MHz DDR3 RAM, an Intel HM77 chipset with integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, and a 128 GB solid state drive. Its screen measures 13.3 inches diagonally, and its dimensions are at 12.7 x 8.9 x 0.11-0.68 inches (its height is tapered from the back to the front). Its weight comes in at 2.98 pounds (3.68 pounds with the AC adapter included), and it comes pre-installed with the OS X Lion 10.7.4 operating system. Overall, the ultra costs about $1,199; a pretty penny to be sure, but one that's justified by the power its laptop parts contain.
The aluminum unibody design of Apple's MacBook has by now become iconic, and this newest MacBook Air isn't looking to change that tradition anytime soon. While many ultras have certainly tried to emulate this look, there's just something about a MacBook's solid unibody build that sets it apart from all the others; it's that distinctive.
Speaking of distinctive looks, one design change that's sure to be very noticeable is the ultra's new charge cable. Taking off from the last model's MagSafe, the simply named MagSafe 2 is wider and flatter, and now juts out from the side of the computer rather than hugging it. Whether or not this works better for you, it's no doubt a drag that you will have to spend an additional $9.99 for an adapter if you still want to use your old MagSafe cables.
Although a bit shallower than that of the MacBook Pro's, the Air's keyboard is no less functional and comfortable to use. Its backlight also adjusts adequately to a well-lit room. And since this is a MacBook, the touchpad is no slouch either. In fact, it's still one of the best around.
While not capable of 1080p HD, the MacBook Air's screen still has a higher resolution than most ultras', coming in at 1,440 x 900 pixels versus the standard 1,366 x 768. The laptop doesn't have Retina Display, but images it displays are as clear as you'd want them to be.
While this new MacBook Air isn't a revolutionary step forward, it still has what it takes to be on top of the ultraportable game, making it worth every penny.
Back before ultraportables were a thing, Apple's MacBook Air burst into the scene sporting a combination of small size, thin design, and near-high-end laptop parts specs. It was a landmark release in that it vastly improved upon the then-concept of thin laptops with low power consumption by adding more-than-capable laptop components to the mix.
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